Here is Your God!

“Say to those whose hearts are frightened: ​Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God, ​he comes with vindication; 

With divine recompense ​he comes to save you.”

 Isaiah 35:4

We are now on the 2nd week of Advent. Christmas songs have been playing on the airwaves since the -ber months. Malls and stores, even our papemelroti branches are decked with Christmas decor. But in the Catholic and some Christian liturgical calendars, Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, not yet a time to sing Christmas carols, and decorate. The word “Advent” is from “Adventus”, a Latin translation of the Greek word “ parousia” which means presence or the coming of a dignitary or a king. It is a time of preparation, even penance, like Lent. Just as during Lent, we prepare our hearts for Easter, Advent is a time when we make ready for Jesus’ coming. 

There are many practices we can do to make this a special time. In my family, we have an Advent wreath and we pray and sing before dinner. We used to have in our office a manger for baby Jesus. Every time, any of us, including our employees, did a good deed, encouraged or helped someone, we put a piece of ‘straw’, a piece of yard or even a strip of paper, in the manger. All those good deeds made a soft bed for the child Jesus, and the baby Jesus was put in his manger at the end of Advent. 

In 2010, my sister Peggy created an ambitious Advent calendar made out of 25 Artist Trading Cards. Each card represented a symbol, like the Jesse Tree symbols, for a Bible story that can be read for each of the 25 days of December before and on Christmas Day. If we know the stories in the Old Testament, how our God has planned for all these years our salvation, we will receive Jesus in our heart with a pure, unadulterated joy! He is the fulfillment of all God’s plans to bring us home to Him! 

Day 2-God, Creation, Gen 1:1-2:3 - Tree

Day 3. - Adam and Eve, The First Sin, Gen 2:4-3:24 - Tree with Fruit or Apple

Day 4. - Noah, The Flood, Gen 6:11-22, 7:17-8:12, 20-9:17 - Rainbow and dove

Day 5. - Abraham, The Promise, Gen 12:1-7, 15:1-6 - Field of Stars

Day 24. - Magi, Worship, Matt 2:1-12 - Star

Day 19. - Habakkuk, Waiting, Hab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19 - Stone Watchtower

Day 7. - Jacob, Assurance of the Promise, Gen 27:41- 28:22 - Ladder

Day 22. - Mary, The Hope for a Future, Luke 1:26-38 - Mary

Day 20. - Nehemiah, Return and Rebuilding, Neh 1:1-2:8, 6:15-16, 13:10-22 - City Wall

Day 14. - Samuel, The Beginning of the Kingdom, 1 Sam 3:1-21, 7:1-8:22, 9:15-10:9 - Crown

Day 12. - Joshua, The Fall of Jericho, Josh 1:1-11, 6:1-20 - Ram's Horn Trumpet

Day 21. - John the Baptist, Repentance, Luke 1:57-80, 3:1-207:18-30 - Scallop Shell

Day 17. - Hezekiah, Faithfulness and Deliverance, 2 Kng 18:1-19:19, 32-37 - An Empty Tent

Day 25. - Jesus, Birth of the Messiah, Luke 2:1-20 - Jesus

Day 23. - Joseph, Trust, Matt 1:19-25 - Carpenter's Hammer

Day 6. - Isaac Offering of Isaac, Gen 22:1-19 - Ram

Day 9. - Moses God's Leadership, Exod 2:1-4:20 - Burning Bush

Day 8. - Joseph God's Providence, Gen 37, 39:1-50:21 - Coat

Day 18. - Jeremiah The Exile, Jer 1:4-10, 2:4-13, 7:1-15, 8:22-9:1-11 - Tears

Day 10. - Israelites Passover and Exodus, Exod 12:1-14:31 - Lamb

Day 1. - Introduction of the Jesse Tree, Isa 11:1-10 1 Sam 16:1-13 - Stump

Day 11. - God, Giving the Torah at Sinai, Exod 19:1-20:20 - Tablets of the Torah

Day 13. - Gideon, Unlikely Heroes, Judg 2:6-23, 6:1-6, 11-8:28 - Clay Water Pitcher

Day 16. - Elijah, The Threat of False Gods, 1 Kng 17:1-16, 18:17-46 - Stone Altar

Day 15. - David, A Shepherd for the People, 1 Sam 16:1-23-17:58, 2 Sam 5:1-5, 7:1-17 - Shepherd's Crook

 Kendra Tierney was asked to write a book about The Jesse Tree liturgical practice. She found Peggy’s masterpiece and now the book is available here: https://stpaulcenter.com/product/o-come-emmanuel/